The JWM DIR system – The 200 words project

The JW Marriott hotel in Pune, India, is an award winning hotel in the JW Marriott chain of hotels.

A part of their secret sauce is that the management team executes a system called the DIR – or daily incident report – extremely well. Every member of staff is encouraged to report any problems they spot or mistakes they made in the DIR. And, the management team’s response? No consequence or reprimand when a problem is reported.

The rationale is straightforward – a problem can only be solved if it is reported. The management team’s focus is on the fact that individuals own up to mistakes they make. It, then, becomes the senior manager’s job to resolve the mistake and to do their best to make sure that the guest comes back.

The team also uses the DIR for purposes beyond problems – if a guest is not feeling well, for example, it goes into the DIR. So, the next day, when the guest is in the lobby, there are at least two or three members of staff asking them if they are well.

Could we test a DIR-like system in our teams?

“We’ve created a culture where nobody works on threats, because you cannot deliver exceptional service with threats.” | Subhash, The JW Marriott Management Team